Oakland County parks: bird-city application, lease renewals, Verizon tower amendment, grants and Turtle Woods acquisition
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Summary
The committee recommended multiple Parks & Recreation items to the board, including applying for a Michigan Bird City designation, one-year residential lease renewals, a telecommunications-license amendment with Verizon, creation of two parks positions (referred to finance), and several grants including a $250,000 match for Royal Oak restrooms and a ~ $2.17 million Turtle Woods acquisition referral to finance. Most motions passed unanimously.
Oakland County's committee on Thursday moved a suite of Parks and Recreation items to either the full board or finance with broad support, ranging from conservation designations to lease renewals and grant acceptances.
The committee voted to recommend that the board approve an application for the Michigan Bird City designation. Kristen Wilthing of Economic Development said the designation aims to improve habitat protection, citizen science through eBird, and reduce threats to birds including light pollution and window strikes. The recommendation passed 7-0.
Parks staff also requested one-year residential lease renewals for on-site houses at Springfield Oaks and other park properties while staff conducts a fees study; commissioners approved the approach 7-0.
An amendment to a telecommunications license agreement with Cellco Partnership doing business as Verizon Wireless for a hidden cell site on the Springfield Oaks water tower was approved. Parks staff said the tower provides revenue that helps cover park utility costs and recommended the extension. The transcript contains inconsistent dollar figures on the site's revenue; staff said the extension would "move us up to $49,000" while an earlier figure in the same explanation appeared garbled. Because the transcript contains conflicting numbers, the exact annual revenue reported at the meeting is not specified here.
The committee voted to refer funding for two Parks positions to finance: a recreation program coordinator focused on adaptive recreation and a strategic sourcing agent to help purchasing and capital projects. Staff said the positions would increase capacity tied to services supported by the millage; the motion to refer passed 7-0.
Parks presented a cooperative-service agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to continue lethal nighttime sharpshooting to reduce deer overpopulation at select parks, expanding to additional sites while minimizing park closures; staff said the program has donated venison to local recipients. Commissioners discussed ecosystem balance and regional cooperation; the motion passed 7-0.
Other park grants and referrals approved or recommended included a $250,000 grant to Royal Oak Township to complete restroom facilities at Civic Center Park (as a match to a nearly $1 million spark grant), a three-year strategic partnership with the Clinton River Watershed Council ($50,000/year, county to receive 60% of the coordinator's time), a $49,000 MDNR Off-Road Vehicle Trail Improvement award for an ORV park boulder trail, and referral of a purchase-and-sale agreement for the Turtle Woods Nature Preserve (about 71.17 acres) supported by a state trust fund grant of approximately $2.17 million; those items were approved or referred by recorded votes.
Most parks items advanced with unanimous committee support and will move to the board or finance committee for final action.